The Danish Embassy and Topas Ecolodge, the event’s organisers, made the announcement at a press briefing in Hanoi this afternoon.
More than 140 runners from 20 countries have registered to compete in the contest. Participants can choose from three categories: half marathon (21 km), full marathon (42 km) and ultra marathon (70 km).
The routes, most of which are narrow trails, will take runners through small villages, rice fields and stunningly beautiful valleys in Sapa.
John Nielsen, the Danish Ambassador to Vietnam, said: "I know the race will pose a lot of toughness, but the ambience and beauty of mountains and rice fields in Sapa will compensate for the sufferings". The ambassador plans to run in the upcoming marathon.
All the runners will donate part of their race entry fee to support Sapa O'Chau - a charitable organisation that provides education opportunities to local ethnic minority groups who have not finished school due to poor economic conditions.
The contest is primarily sponsored by Denmark’s Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company with 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. Via joining the marathon, Novo Nordisk would like to promote healthy lifestyle to prevent the rise of diabetes which is growing at a fast speed in Vietnam.
